The Barbican Centre has released details of their upcoming autumn programme, Rewriting the Rules: Pioneering Indian Cinema after 1970, which explores a period of cultural and political change in India's history.

The programme features Indian cinema from the 1970s, '80s and '90s. This programme will run concurrently with The Imaginary Institution of India Art 1975–1998 exhibition at The Art Gallery. The exhibition runs from 5th October 2024 to 5th January 2025, with free entry on the 26th and 27th of October.

The films chosen explore themes such as economic struggles, religious fundamentalism, and LGBT+ people.

Dr Omar Ahmed has curated the programme for the Barbican. His upcoming book, The Revolution of Indian Parallel Cinema in the Global South (1968–1995): From Feminism to Iconoclasm, is set to be published in early 2025.

In a statement, Dr Ahmed says “The critical, polarising period considered in the Gallery exhibition coincides with the emergence of Indian Parallel Cinema, South Asia's first post-colonial art film movement, which spanned four decades beginning in the late 1960s… These films showcase new filmmaking techniques, aesthetics, and on-screen representations that redefined Indian cinema

“Many of these films have rarely been screened in the UK, making this programme significant in introducing audiences to the rich and diverse landscape of Indian cinema.”

Programme highlights include Prem Kapoors Infamous Neighborhood (1971), which is generally described as India's first queer film, and Yash Chopra's box office hit The Wall (1975). Additionally, on the 11th of November, there will be a double bill of documentaries focused on women's rights; Mira Nair's India Cabaret (1985), and the Yuganthar feminist film collective's Maid Servant (1981).